Golden Globe nominee and Boston native Taylor Schilling breaks out her prison coveralls for an even more suspenseful season of Orange is the New Black.

“The thing that is so exciting to me about this show is the arc that they’ve given Piper,” Schilling says. “She’s dancing really fast, trying to be who she thinks the world thinks she should be, but now she’s forced to look at what’s really happening inside of her.” That dance has been a thrill to watch, as Schilling believably two-steps from a wide-eyed ingénue to a come-hither seductress to a broken-down woman unleashing 13 episodes of rage on a born-again hillbilly.

Her will; I think she’s a lot fiercer than I am, but that’s certainly a fun part of myself to explore.

What do you think sets Mercy apart from other medical dramas?

It’s relatable. These characters aren’t glossy. It doesn’t strike me as soap opera–y. Everything is grounded, and it’s really working-class culture. I see people I know in all these characters. It doesn’t feel like ¬TV Land. It’s human, it’s messy.